The most common complaint about computers of all kinds, which we often hear is that it is running slow. Most people who use computers in home as well as office have experienced computers getting slower than normal and it is a very frustrating and ultimately aggravating situations. People think about taking the laptop to the service centers or even replacing the system all together. Well wait a minute. The reason might be simpler than you can imagine. Here are top 10 reasons why your laptop is slow and how to fix them easily at home without external help.
Top 10 reasons why your laptop is slow and how to fix it?
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You haven’t pressed shut down for too long
So lets start with the basics. With today’s geeky online life, it kills us to shut down the Laptop even for a minute. We are usually in the middle of something and do not want to stop even for a while. So we kid ourselves and say OK let’s just put it on hibernate mode or sleep mode so we can resume after a while or better yet we just shut the lids down while a thousand apps are working in the background. This can make the Laptop get slower and slower as the RAM get used up and memory is clogged with the load of running applications. It can also in the long run lead to crashing of the hard disk. So when you are wondering why your laptop is slow, try to remember when was the last time you shut it down.
How to fix it?
Well no points for guessing the correct answer. Just shut down the laptop after a while (once in twenty for hours or at the most in 48 hours) This is good for the overall health of your system. Especially when you are going to sleep, do not think it will be better if you can start from where you left, in the morning. Think that your laptop also wants a bit of a cool off, like yourself and shut it down.
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Too many applications are open
I admit that an end user today cannot live without multitasking. We all have to be doing a dozen things at a time. So after a while there is a huge array of apps running the background, some which we never even would be going to use in the session. So it is better to avoid opening too many apps.
How to fix it?
When you are opening something new, first think about the previously opened apps. If you would not be needing them anytime soon, just shut them down instead of keeping them for later use. This will save you from so much hassle in the long run.
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Too many startup programs for why your laptop is slow
Many people complain that the laptop takes a long time to start up. Well that is because there are too many start programs that will load every time your computer will boot. Some times when you install a program, you inadvertently click on the option to load on startup. You might not even know and many programs might be running the background because they were loaded at the time of startup.
How to fix it?
Depending on your OS, there will be a different method to deactivate the startup programs. Goolge how to see the startup programs on (name of your OS) Follow the steps that google will tell you. Once the list of programs that are loaded on every startup pop up, unselect the ones that you do not want to be starting up everytime the OS boots. In fact try to keep the programs as minimum as possible to have faster and more efficient booting process.
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Hard disk is too full
Too full is usually more than 90%. When you have too many programs and files on your hard drive, it is sure to become slower with time as there is too much stuffing. Keep checking you disk space so you know when it is reaching the cautionary limits.
How to fix it?
There can be many solutions to this issue. First and foremost is to use the removable storage. Transfer all your photos, videos and data to the removable storage. Once you have cleaned out the stuff check the programs that you are not using and are freely available on the net for download. Put all the programs files in the removable storage whenever you need then you can install them later. Once you start the cleanup you can easily find lots of stuff that is useless an can free up a sizeable amount of your space.
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You antivirus is over enthusiastic
The computer gets quite slow when there is a virus scan running in the background. Most of the virus protection software come with options like do a daily scan, or scan on every start up checked. Do make sure you uncheck all these options. Once or twice a week scan is enough. You can put your computer on complete virus scan before going to sleep so it will not interrupt your work.
How to fix it?
Check your virus scan schedule. Uncheck the scan everyday option and the default options and put it on manual scan time. However do not forget to run the antivirus often.
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Spinning hard drive Vs. SSD hard drive
If you have looked into all the minor issues listed above and still are facing the same problem and asking yourself why your laptop is slow. Well it might be your hard drive that is the culprit. The spinning hard drive get slow with time. Actually every hard drive has a life and when we say life we mean ultimately it is going to die. Moving from spinning hard drive to solid state hard drive (SSD) maybe a good move to make your speed better.
How to fix it?
Make a little investment and replace a spinning hard drive with a SSD hard drive. However make sure that this is the issue that is causing your laptop to be slow speed, otherwise you would replace the disk and still the laptop will remain slow.
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You need more RAM
While wondering about the issue that why your laptop is slow you can also keep the possibility in mind that you might need more RAM on your system. If you system is old, then it probably is has a low RAM. More RAM is required for heavy programs like graphics based Photoshop or RPG games. These days a minimum of 2 to 4GB of RAM is a must.
How to fix it.
How to fix it?
There is an easy fix it solution for it, which is buy more RAM and get it installed on your system.
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Dust and lack of cleanliness
A major reason behind why your laptop is slow is that there might be dust accumulated on your system. If the laptop is placed near open windows or doors then it will require proper cleaning every well. Clean out the vents and make sure they are open. Avoid putting your laptop on soft places like pillow or sofa. If the laptop becomes matted with dust, it gets hotter and hotter.
How to fix it?
Cleaning of laptop is a must and should be done every day. However once a week you should deep clean it. Use a cleaning solution for cleaning the screen and clean the individual keys. Use a vacuum cleaner to dust the difficult places between the keys. You can also use the compressed air.
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One program hogs the CPU usage
Sometimes there is one program that has encountered some error and is hogging up all the CPU usage. Sometimes an otherwise normal application can encounter some problem and will either crash or worse, go in an infinite loop and slows down the system.
How to fix it?
Whenever you feel the machine is slow, go to the task manager and check which application and processes are taking too much CPU usage and slowing it down. Close down those process or applications. If the problem persists once you start the program again, uninstall it and then install it again.
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Virus alert
If nothing work and you have ckecked the entire list till this point, then it might be something to worry about. Your system might be infected with a virus or malware.
How to fix it?
Update your antivirus. And then run a complete scan. If you have no antivirus then immediately install a good one on your system. If the infection is big and is unable to be removed by the antivirus then it might be a good idea or reinstall your OS and make a fresh start. Save your work before the uninstall but check the saved files for virus.
read more Downgrading From Windows 10 To Windows 7 or 8.1
It is really frustrating when your laptop does not function with the proper speed. Instead of wondering why your laptop is slow and waiting for a miracle to happen and expecting it will restore to its original speed, try to follow these basic generic steps. This will definitely help in getting your problem solved.
Have you ever faced this issue and wondered why your laptop is slow. What remedies did you follow to get out of this predicament? Let us know about your experience by commenting below.
